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(No Model.)

. A. K. VIRGIL.

SPEAKING SPRING FOR MUSICIANS FINGER EXERGISING DEVICES. 4 No. 344,463. Patented June 29, 1886..

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N. PETERS, mwummn (mm D. c.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALMON K. VIRGIL, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-THIRDS TO E. S. XVILLOOX, OF IEORIA, ILLINOIS, AND GEORGE M. IVILLCOX, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

SPEAKlNG-SPRlNG FOR MUSICIANS FINGER-EXERCISING DEVICES.

SBPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 344,463, dated June 29, 1886.

Serial No. 167,812.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMON K. VTRGIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in SpcakingSprings, of which the following is a specification.

In an application heretofore filed by me, Serial No. 84,340, and renewed October 22, to 1884, as Serial No. 146,16l, I have described an instrument to be used for the instruction of pupils and for practice on pianos or organs, and in an application filed simultaneously herewith I have described an improved [5 instrument for the same purpose.v In both of these instruments a series of speakingsprings are employed. It is desirable that each speaking-spring of a series should speak in unison with the others, and that the instant at which they shall speak may be determinable, so that they can be adjusted to speak at the proper point in the travel of the key. This can be accomplished by a careful selection of speaking-springs made as heretol'orc for other purposes; but the difficulty of finding a sufficient number of springs having the corresponding characteristics referred to has made it quite necessary that some method should be discovered whereby the speaking of each spring might be subject to regulation.

ith this end in view I have made my present invention, which is based upon the discovery that when a spring is indented at the center the deeper the indentation the greater will be the distance measured on the are described by the free end of the spring be tween the point where the spring speaks in being compressed and the point where itspeaks when being released, and also that by making an indentation upon one or both edges of the spring the points at which it will speak can be brought nearer together. The sound I understand to be produced by the buckling of the spring, due to the indentation between its extremities.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a speaking-spring of the form which I prefer to use in theinstruments described in said applications. Fig. 2 represents an edge view. Fig. 3 represents the mannerin which the spring is secured in use, being an isometric view of the bottom. Figs. 4 and 5 rep resent, respective] y, the spring at a point where it may be supposed to be speaking on being compressed and the point where it may 5 5 be supposed to be speaking on being released. Fig. 6 represents the spring when not compressed.

. In manufacturing these springs I take a piece of clock-spring steel of about the form shown in Fig. l, and place the same on a Hat anvil, and by means of a punch and a series of comparatively light taps of a hammer compress it about the point a, Fig. 1. Upon'testing it in a suitable instrument for that pur- 6 pose I may find, for example, that it requires to be bent to the extent shown in Fig. 4 be fore it speaks, and that when being released it will speak when still bent in the form shown in Fig. 7

It will be observed that the spring speaks on being compressed at a different point of its arc of vibration from the point at which it speaks on being released. If it is desired to separate these two points more widely, I still further compress the spring at the point a by the same means. On again testing the spring I shall find that the arc separating the points of speaking is longer than before. If the speaking-points are too widely separated, So I, by the same means as before, compress it on the edges, as at b I), either on one edge or both. Very slight comp rcssion at these points will generally answer, and on again testing the spring it will be found that the length of the are between the points at which it speaks has been lessened. Thus by compressing the spring, as may be required, either in the center or on the edge or edges, and testing it from time to time, each spring may be brought to go speak at the same point as the others, so that when properly introduced into the instruments described in said applications all the springs will speak in unison, and may be arranged to speak at points in the travel of the 9 5 keys corresponding witlrthe points where, in

a piano, the damper is raised from the strings and where it is returned to contact with the strings.

In the drawings I have shown about the po [00 sition which I prefer that the points of com- A speaking-spring indented in the center pression should have with reference to the and on one or both of its edges, substantially confinement of the spring; but I do not desire as described. to limit myself to this position. I 5 I do not in this application claim the pro- ALMON K. VIRGIL.

cese for producing the speaking-springs, as that is the subject of a separate application, Vitnesses: N 0. 182,106, filed by me November 7, 1885. DANIEL H. DRIsooLL,

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire E. T.-ROOHE. 10 to secure by Letters Patent, is 

